BoWich (which stands for Best Organic SandWICH) is a soon-to-open gourmet sandwich shop that will wade into the same delicious territory carved out by its neighbours Lunch (121 Bank St.) and Bread & Sons Bakery (195 Bank St.) as alternatives to the artery-clogging, soul-less fast-food chains that rule the downtown roost.

If all goes well, co-owners and brother-sister team Gavin and Samantha Hall will open their doors on September 7. I stopped by the near-empty shop on Wednesday for a sneak peek to find out what we can expect.
These first-time food-biz entrepreneurs are hesitant to share too many details about their healthy gourmet fast-food concept (a skeptic might call this an oxymoron if ever there was one). They have been warned by other local business owners to beware of the big hype associated with openings that can flood a new food business and overwhelm the kitchen. That’s why the Halls plan to start by offering only two sandwich options and gradually working up to the full menu of sandwiches, burgers, salads, and soups.

Gavin says his shop offers something unique to Ottawa’s downtown lunch crowd. “We plan on bringing the very best ingredients from local farms and preparing them in a simple fresh manor that allows the business person the opportunity to eat completely chemical free foods in a speedy manor while busy at work.”

“We want to provide a luxurious product,” says Samantha who prepared a few sample of her stellar sandwiches on the panini press while we chatted. “It’s as much about efficiency as a good product,” adds Gavin, “There’s no use having great food if no one has time to eat it.”